Would This Horticulture Home Study Course Be Worth It?

Ok, so I've decided to try and get as much education as I can about the field I chose to work in. I can't find any good courses at any schools nearby, so I went to the internet.

What I found was this...........

The Institute of Gardening Home Study Course. It's supposed to take about a year to complete, and costs around $640. It also says that this course would prepare and allow you to sit for the Royal Horticultural Society test.

What I want to know is.......
1. Are home study courses in horticulture worth it?
2. Could I get the same amount of education by just buying books and reading alot?
3. Am I wasting my time learing about horticulture if I'm just mowing lawns right now?

I've never heard of it but, who am I? Any education that furthers your knowledge is good. There are several courses out there like Perdue and I think Georgia Tech has one. NC state has one that's pretty good I've been told. I hope you can hook up with someone who knows first hand about the course you're referring to.

You might want to check out the plcaa.org web site they have some options listed for education.....one being a correspondence course through the university of georgia that costs in the neighborhood of $300

Contact your local Cooperative Extension Service, (every county has one) and inquire about their Certified Master Gardeners Program. Here, in Michigan for instance, it's offered through Michigan St. University. This is quite simply, nothing but awesome, and much cheaper. You'll take the classes, and your exams, then do community service. Now, it may vary, but when I went through this, the community service was 40 hrs.. 20 hrs. were spent answering their horticultural hotline (people would call in and ask various questions) then the second 20 hrs. were spent working on some sort of horticultural related project. (In my case I redid beds and planted flowers for a school system. Anyway, it's well worth it, and MUCH cheaper.

Joe

Thank you, Dad - for always being the dad that you were. You truly are my hero. You always were.

Gotta agree with Runner. For about $70.00 you are gonna get more information than you will be able to absorb. And you will begin an association with your County Extension Agent. Is it worth it? Yep--worth about 10 times what you pay for it. Start with local information. After you learn all there is to know about grass, plants.soils,pest, and landscaping in your area, then you may want to take a national course. Russ

"But at home one is bound with petty regulations and irksome restraints.....He feels lost even in great crowds, for nothing and no one seem in sympathy. The people he knows may be good fellows, but they do not understand him, and he does not understand them. he longs to get back to the bush, for there he felt an exaltation that no civilized land can possibly supply." -Denis D. Lyell

Im not sure how old you are and what extent of a degree you want, but i currently go to UConn in CT, and am finishing up my associates degree in turfgrass science. So far it has been a great program. you get a background in all aspects of the landscaping industry such as soils, turf management, golf course design, landscape plant maintenence, evergreens, herbaceous ornamentals, plant pest control etc. etc. Penn State has an awesome turf program as well. You could maybe just take a few classes, but that would be an expensive way to go.

I think I'm gonna go the Coop Extention route first. Can't see taking a full two or four year course in Turf Science right now. but this'll at least get me a good idea of what I'm looking at when I'm standing on someone's grass.